I replaced Claude Pro with a local 9B model for a week, and finally found out what I was paying $20 a month for
The author replaced their Claude Pro subscription with a locally-run Qwen 3.5 9B model for a week to evaluate what they were actually paying $20 a month for. While the local model handled many tasks well—especially with its 60k context window and efficient memory use—certain capabilities like image analysis and document processing revealed gaps compared to Claude Pro. Ultimately, the experiment clarified that the value of Claude Pro lies not in raw performance but in specific, reliable features that integrate seamlessly into daily workflows.
- ▪The author used Qwen 3.5 9B locally on an RTX 3070 with 8GB VRAM.
- ▪Qwen supports a 60k context window thanks to its GDN hybrid architecture.
- ▪Claude Pro's image analysis, document handling, and Projects features were missed most.
- ▪The local model performed well for text-based tasks but lacked multimodal capabilities.
- ▪The experiment revealed that convenience and integration matter more than expected.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": "1", "name": "Home", "item": "https://www.xda-developers.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position":"2", "name": "AI tools", "item": "https://www.xda-developers.com/ai-tools/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position":"3", "name": "I replaced Claude Pro with a local 9B model for a week, and finally found out what I was paying $20 a month for", "item": "https://www.xda-developers.com/replaced-claude-pro-with-local-9b-model/" } ] } I replaced Claude Pro with a local 9B model for a week, and finally found out what I was paying $20 a month for By Nolen Jonker Published May 1, 2026, 6:00 AM EDT Nolen began their writing career in 2019, with three years dedicated to editing the…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at XDA.
Discussion
0 commentsMore from XDA
